AP Gov | 1.5 Ratification of the U.S. Constitution | NEW!
Summary
TLDRThis video delves into the U.S. Constitution's creation, highlighting the pivotal role of compromise. It discusses the Virginia and New Jersey Plans, leading to the Great Compromise which established a bicameral legislature. The Electoral College and the Three-Fifths Compromise are also covered, revealing how they balanced power and representation. The video concludes by noting the Constitution's flexibility for future amendments, emphasizing its enduring relevance.
Takeaways
- đ The U.S. Constitution was drafted in 1787 with the initial goal to amend the Articles of Confederation, but it evolved into a replacement document.
- đ€ The Great Compromise, also known as the Connecticut Compromise, led to a bicameral legislature with the House of Representatives based on population and the Senate with equal representation for each state.
- đïž The Grand Committee was instrumental in negotiating the bicameral legislature, ensuring large states agreed by allowing tax and revenue bills to originate in the House where they had more influence.
- đ€ The Electoral College was a compromise between direct election of the president by citizens and selection by Congress, resulting in an indirect election process.
- đą The Three-Fifths Compromise controversially counted five slaves as three people for congressional representation, which benefited the South and perpetuated slavery.
- đ« The compromise on the importation of slaves allowed the slave trade to continue for 20 years after the Constitution's ratification before it could be banned.
- đ The lack of a Bill of Rights was a point of contention raised by Anti-Federalists, leading to James Madison introducing amendments that became the Bill of Rights.
- đ Article 5 of the Constitution provides a process for amending the Constitution, either through a proposal by 2/3 of Congress followed by ratification by 3/4 of the states, or by 2/3 of state legislatures followed by the same ratification process.
- đ The Constitution, while providing a framework, left many issues unresolved and open to interpretation, acknowledging that it was not perfect and allowing for future changes.
Q & A
What was the primary goal of the Constitutional Convention in the summer of 1787?
-The primary goal was to amend the Articles of Confederation, but it became clear that James Madison and others had intentions to draft a new constitution.
What were the two main plans discussed at the Constitutional Convention?
-The two main plans were the Virginia Plan, which advocated for a stronger central government with a bicameral legislature based on population, and the New Jersey Plan, which proposed maintaining a unicameral legislature with equal representation for each state.
What was the outcome of the Great Compromise, also known as the Connecticut Compromise?
-The Great Compromise established a bicameral legislature with the House of Representatives based on population and the Senate with equal representation for each state, each having two senators.
How did the Grand Committee persuade large states to agree to equal representation in the Senate?
-They made a deal that all tax and revenue bills must originate in the House of Representatives, where large states had a significant advantage.
What was the Electoral College designed to achieve, and how did it compromise between direct election and congressional selection?
-The Electoral College was designed as a compromise between direct election by citizens and selection by Congress, allowing people to vote for electors who then elect the president.
What was the three-fifths compromise, and how did it impact representation in the House and the Electoral College?
-The three-fifths compromise stated that for congressional representation purposes, every five slaves would count as three people. This led to the South being over-represented in both the House and the Electoral College.
What was the compromise regarding the importation of slaves, and how long did it last before it could be banned?
-The compromise allowed the slave trade to continue for 20 years after the ratification of the Constitution before it could be legally banned.
How did the lack of a Bill of Rights initially impact the debate over the ratification of the Constitution?
-The lack of a Bill of Rights was seized upon by Anti-Federalists as a significant issue, leading Madison and Hamilton to eventually relent and introduce amendments that became the Bill of Rights.
What does Article 5 of the Constitution outline, and how does it provide for future changes to the Constitution?
-Article 5 outlines the amendment process, providing two methods: one where 2/3 of both houses of Congress propose an amendment, which then needs to be ratified by 3/4 of the states, and another where 2/3 of state legislatures can propose an amendment, which also needs to be ratified by 3/4 of the states.
What does the script suggest about the Constitution's ability to address all issues and disagreements?
-The script suggests that while the Constitution provides a framework, it leaves many issues open to interpretation and disagreement, and acknowledges that it did not get everything exactly right.
Outlines
đïž Introduction to the U.S. Constitution and Compromises
The video begins by welcoming viewers to a discussion on the U.S. Constitution, encouraging engagement through likes. It delves into the historical context of the Constitutional Convention of 1787, where the original intent to amend the Articles of Confederation was overshadowed by James Madison's proposal for a new constitution. The video emphasizes the theme of negotiation and compromise, highlighting the Virginia Plan's call for a stronger central government with proportional representation and the New Jersey Plan's preference for equal state representation. A significant focus is on the Great Compromise, which led to a bicameral legislature with the House of Representatives based on population and the Senate with equal representation. The video also touches on the Electoral College as a compromise between direct election and congressional selection, the contentious Three-Fifths Compromise regarding the counting of slaves for representation, and the compromise on the slave trade, which allowed it for 20 years post-ratification. Lastly, it mentions the introduction of the Bill of Rights as a response to Anti-Federalist concerns and concludes by noting the Constitution's flexibility for future amendments.
đ Conclusion and Future Discussion
The second paragraph serves as a conclusion to the video, summarizing the key points discussed and hinting at further exploration of the Constitution's nuances in upcoming videos. It acknowledges the ongoing debates and disagreements over constitutional interpretations and unaddressed issues, emphasizing the document's adaptability and the importance of the amendment process outlined in Article 5. The host signs off by promoting the Ultimate Review Packet as a resource for viewers and expresses anticipation for the next installment of the series.
Mindmap
Keywords
đĄConstitutional Convention
đĄArticles of Confederation
đĄVirginia Plan
đĄNew Jersey Plan
đĄGreat Compromise (Connecticut Compromise)
đĄElectoral College
đĄThree-Fifths Compromise
đĄSlave Trade Compromise
đĄAnti-Federalists
đĄBill of Rights
đĄAmendment Process
Highlights
Introduction to the U.S. Constitution and its significance.
The summer of 1787 marked the Constitutional Convention with 12 states in attendance.
James Madison's pivotal role in drafting a new constitution.
The Virginia Plan proposed a stronger central government with a bicameral legislature based on population.
The New Jersey Plan advocated for a unicameral legislature with equal representation for all states.
The Great Compromise led to a bicameral legislature with the House based on population and the Senate with equal state representation.
The Grand Committee's role in negotiating the Great Compromise.
The Electoral College as a compromise between direct election and congressional selection of the president.
The Three-Fifths Compromise and its impact on congressional representation and the electoral college.
The debate over the importation of slaves and the resulting 20-year delay before banning the slave trade.
The Anti-Federalists' argument for a Bill of Rights and Madison's eventual introduction of amendments.
Article 5 of the Constitution outlines the amendment process with two methods for proposing and ratifying amendments.
The Constitution provides a framework but leaves room for future changes and interpretations.
The video concludes with a teaser for Unit 5, which will delve deeper into the Electoral College.
A call to action for viewers to check out the Ultimate Review Packet for further study.
Transcripts
Hey everybody, welcome back! Itâs finally time to discuss the U.S. Â
Constitution! Be sure to smash that like button and letâs get right to it.
Alright so in the summer of 1787 twelve states have agreed to send representatives Â
to the Constitutional Convention with the stated purpose to amend the Articles of Confederation Â
but as soon as they get there it's very clear that James Madison has other ideas Â
and they begin to draft a new constitution to replace the Articles of Confederation.
The major focus of this section is negotiation and compromise, so weâre going to see how Â
several key portions of the Constitution are the result of compromise. Remember, Â
the sign of a good compromise is when nobody likes the outcome.
First up is the great compromise, but before we get to the compromise, letâs briefly discuss the Â
two main plans, known as the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan. The Virginia Plan wanted Â
a stronger central government with a bicameral legislature in which both houses of Congress would Â
be based on population, letting the large states receive more representation. The small states Â
were obviously like, no way man, weâre not gonna just stand here and get stomped by the big states.
The New Jersey plan said hey let's just do what we were sent here for and amend Â
the Articles Confederation. It wanted to maintain a unicameral one house Congress Â
in which each state had one vote which gave the small states a big advantage in Â
Congress. So each side wanted what was best for themselves. Shocking, I know.
So, this leads to the great compromise, aka the Connecticut compromise, Â
and established a bicameral legislature with the House of Representatives based off Â
population while in the Senate each state would be represented equally with two senators per state.
The grand committee, I mean what a name, was formed to work out this compromise. But how Â
exactly did they get the large states to go along with equal representation in the Senate? Â
They made a deal that all tax and revenue bills must originate in the House of Representatives Â
where the large states had a huge advantage, so they went along with the bicameral legislature.
Next, everybodyâs favorite the Electoral College was also the result of compromise. Some delegates Â
wanted citizens to directly elect the president while others believed Congress should choose Â
the president. The Electoral College kinda takes a little from each of those ideas, Â
today people in each state get to vote for who will represent their state in the Â
Electoral College and then the Electoral College elects the president. In Unit 5 Â
Iâll teach you all the ins and outs of the Electoral College, so stay tuned.
Next is the infamous three-fifths compromise, which was the result of the debate over whether Â
slaves counted as people for the purpose of congressional representation. The southern Â
states who always maintained that slaves were property no no no they're not people Â
so they don't have any rights, well, all of a sudden in this issue the southern states Â
are like oh yeah no slaves are definitely people when weâre counting the population Â
to determine how many members we get to send to the House of Representatives.
Northern states were like no way you guys cannot have it both ways they don't count Â
as people for representation because you said that they're not people and they're not gonna Â
be represented anyway. The outcome was the three-fifths compromise which meant that Â
every five slaves counted as three people for congressional representation purposes. Â
This led to the south being over-represented both in the House and the electoral college, Â
greatly empowering the South and protecting slavery until the Civil War.
Next is the compromise on the importation of slaves. This oneâs even more ethically blurry Â
than the last one. Northern states wanted to ban the slave trade, but that was a line in the sand Â
for southern states who would never ratify a constitution that banned the slave trade.Â
The compromise was that the slave trade couldnât not be banned for 20 years after Â
the ratification of the Constitution. On the first day it could legally be banned, Â
Congress did so and Thomas Jefferson signed the ban into law.
All four of those occurred at the Constitutional Convention, Â
this next one happened during the debate over ratification. Recall that the Anti-Federalists Â
seized upon the lack of a Bill of Rights, and while Madison and Hamilton tried to defend the Â
conspicuous absence of a Bill of Rights they eventually relented and Madison introduced the Â
amendments that became the Bill of Rights early in the first session of Congress.
So those are our big four compromises, but itâs also important to point out that the frames left Â
the door open to future changes, knowing they didnât get everything exactly right. Article Â
5 lays out the amendment process, actually there are two methods. The primary one is Â
that 2/3 of both houses of Congress propose an amendment and then 3/4 of the states ratify it. Â
Alternately, 2/3 of state legislatures can propose an amendment which would Â
then need to be ratified by 3/4 of the states.
As we go further in this unit and the course, itâll be clear that while the Constitution Â
gives us a framework, there are still lots of issues that are left up in the air and lots Â
of disagreement over what to do about things that arenât even mentioned in the Constitution.
Alright, well thatâs it for this one. Until next time, this has been a LaMoney Production
Thanks again for watching, be sure to check out the Ultimate Â
Review Packet if you havenât already, and I will see you in the next video.
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